February 2014 - all our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

[sunflowered]

Well... we're getting there at least, and definitely ready to meet the first thread baby!

So true about changing bags. Anything baby-related seems to e a license for retailers to stick a few extra noughts on the end of the price! I never bought a changing bag with DS, just a rucksack which served us really well and meant DH was just as happy using it. Bought one of those slimline Skip Hop mini change mats with built in pockets (around £20 I think) which I kept inside the rucksack and now he's bigger and I don't need to cart around so much paraphernalia, I just stick that under the buggy or in the car which is super convenient. Would definitely recommend that piece of kit.

I got one of those change mats too! Changing bag came 'free' with the pram, though we'll probably end up using a rucksack too as I hate carrying bags on my shoulders.

Also had a lovely, sunny walk today - it felt fantastic. Baby was very active in the car home but totally silent now so I'm hoping she's just worn out from the activity!

Had to go to a party tonight though managed to make an early escape, good old enormous tummy.

notone amazing bargain, I am so rubbish at ebay so full of respect for people who manage to actually buy things from there.

Yes that's what appealed about the pacapods - that you can take just one of the pods out and leave the bag if you don't need it. The feeding one is basically a mini cool bag rucksack so can be worn/carried by a toddler, left at nursery etc with a packed lunch in it. Clever! But I baulk at paying full price for pretty much anything - I'm a tightwad (and ebay's best customer...)

Giant hiccups (hiccoughs?) going on right now - bigger than mine ever are! I do love them.

Woop, it's gone phew!

Thanks mnhq - I'll try not to be such a doofus again!

DH got me a pacapod off eBay last time - totally love it :) not sure how it'll work with my double buggy though as it might sit on DS's head in the toddler seat underneath!

Well, after my first week of official Mat leave being spent in idleness, I finished my book and got cracking today!
I (while DH looked after Dd) have redecorated our bedroom, which it desperately needed, and am very pleased with it though my hips are telling me I should have done it over a few days instead. We also took Dd to see Frozen at the cinema, which was great as it had a less than typical Disney Princess ending :-)
Also added to the thread bargains - realised in the last couple of days that my trusty microwave steriliser won't fit in my new, smaller microwave. Stuck a wanted ad on a local FB sellers group and immediately got offered a nearly new Avent electric one for free! I do like a bargain :-)

The changing bag described above does sound lovely but I just can't imagine spending that much on any bag, let alone a nappy bag. DH bought me a Cambridge Sstchel Co bag for Christmas which is the most expensive bag I have ever owned - it's beautiful - but there'll be no mucky nappies going in it! Last time round I just used the Boots club freebie which did the job perfectly well.

I got the boots free bag, which will probably be for oh to use or mum and then been bought a babymel one from mums best friend. She was adamant she was buying me a changing bag, money no object, but I felt really guilty, it cost £60 in the end but she literally had been thinking couple of hundred pounds but I couldn't do it!

Those Cambridge satchels are lovely - lucky thing! It'd be sacrilege to put anything other than equally beautiful precious things inside

Even if I had a few hundred quid spare for a bag I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it as I always think about what else/how many cheaper bits I can get with that cash. (If I was a lottery winner then this attitude might change!) Plus I know the massive mark up on these things - especially if they have a designer 'name' or are marketed towards hormonal excited new mothers (like weddings!) and hate being taken for a mug... Baby stuff is so great to get second hand as there's so much out there that's good as new - so much of it loses it's usefulness and becomes one person's clutter so quickly. It's become quite a hobby hunting it down! Time I'd normally spend down the pub I guess

I'm not normally one for handbags but I fell in love with a purple Cambridge satchel a couple of years ago and bought it for myself. I love it and use it everyday so it doesn't feel wasteful to me.
I found a £40 Quinny changing bag in a charity shop for £1.75 which will do for us. It's more like a messenger bag and looks quite cool so I know DP will use it.
Tbh most of my baby stuff is second hand from car boots and charity shops or hand me downs with the exception of mattresses and a few nursery accessories from ikea. Our best bargain is a Graco baby swing that cost 50p from a carboot. Although the 4 huge bags of hardly worn baby boy clothing from 0-12 months is pretty impressive too. I've hardly spent a penny on clothes. We are quite lucky that we know so many people who have just had baby boys.
I really can't wait to meet mine now. Hurry up due date!

I didn't get a changing bag when I had ds but my dm did treat me to a nice big leather bag from Joules for my b-day just before he was born. I used that bag every day for 2 years and it needs some repairs now but I still love it. When he was tiny, I used to have one of these huggies changing mats which I got free somewhere. Once ds was bigger (ie no more poo explosions) I would only chuck in a nappy, mini wipes and a sack in my handbag. Easy!
When he started at the cm I did treat myself/him to a cath kidston cowboy bag but some bastard nicked it from my car :(

We had a busy, but very sunny day in Cardiff too yesterday - toddler dance class, followed by a run around St Fagans National Museum in glorious sunshine, then a treck around town. My pelvis did not thank me! Think I will try and crack on with painting ds's new (to him) big boy bed today so I can turf him out of the cot bed and then that can have a refresh of paint before baby arrives to go in it!

Loving hearing about all the bargains. I do love a good eBay find. DH always tells me off as I have to watch and wait until the last second to bid so I can get the best bargain possible!

Busy day yesterday for me too. I did a second coat of paint in the babies room so that's two of the walls done. Now I need to shift the furniture and do the other two. It feels good to finally be making some progress on there tho. I'm also on a mammoth washing everything baby related spree at the moment

Met up with some friends I've known since school yesterday for a pre-baby get together. My best friend wanted to do a baby shower but I'm not really into them so we just had a nice pub lunch then went back to her house where we chatted and ate loads of chocolate and had a good old catch up. Then watched terminator 2. Very girly lol!

I'm off to the monthly vintage market today to look at pretty things maybe for the last time without pushing a pram then we have a hypnobirthing refresher course. I'm hoping to spur DH in to some sort of house clearing action later/an ikea trip but need to reign myself in and remember it's his second day of being off after working crazy hours and I must not begrudge him a lazy day of playing computer games. Must not nag (which is very hard to resist!)

I hope you all have lovely Sundays planned

Ooo your day sounds amazing misskat!! Busy but full of lovely things:) especially the vintage market!! We don't have anything like that up here, or an ikea for that matter!! Glad your making some progress with babies room:) it's such a relief when it's done:)

So nice seeing the updates on sunflowered. Makes it feel so real that we have a fully formed little one just ready to pop out at any time. Wonder who will be next now? So exciting:)

My day today will consist of trying to make a lid for a built in chest in babies room and kitchen shopping for my mum. Don't think Iv had a day on Mat leave yet where Iv put my feet up!! Although I am currently lying next to a very sleepy 3yo who came running through to my bed at 9.20 and fell back asleep haha.

I know it's been asked a hundred times but when can we start drinking rlt and taking the tablets? And taking evening primrose oil?

Today will not be a lazy day, but am looking forward to getting everything done! We had a friend come collect 2 Billy bookcases and a desk for her new home yesterday morning, so whilst a lot of stuff got packed (hopefully we'll be moving soon) a lot of it is now piled up in the main room. Then another friend came over to do a bump photo shoot, which was fun but took a while - she's very good, but not a professional, so her kit was playing up a bit.

So today is all about getting this place ship-shape again, making yet more black velvet cakes for his team to bribe them to be nice about his new hair, do all my finances for the year and start taking down the first of many sacks of recycling. Not exciting, but I'm going to feel so much better when it's all done!

artisticme I started with one cup of rlt at 36 weeks, upped that to two cups at 37 weeks, have just hit 38 weeks today so will up that to three cups a day and leave it at that. Not sure about evening primrose oil, as I'm not taking that, I think one question will be how you're planning on, ahem, taking it?

Artistic from some of the phrases you use I think you might live near -ish me - if I'm right then the Ikea in Edinburgh does deliver! But yes definitely no vintage markets in this part of the world :)

I really must start on the RLT, have been half heartedly eating dates but definitely not 6 a day.

So lovely seeing sunflowered's pictures - I really can't get my head round the fact that there is a real little human being inside me. I feel like she still looks like a little alien baby c. 12 weeks...the thought she has hair and fingernails is so crazy...gah I really can't wait to meet her!

Yeah marzi Edinburgh would be my closest! Although I really don't like ikea online. Never feel it does anything justice:/ and plus it's never the same as walking round and sitting on a hundred sofas and eating meatballs haha.

gnitting haha I think I'll just take them the oral way:) I'm not even entirely sure what try do but I heard they're good to take so why not!

So is it 36 weeks for both tablet and tea for rlt? Iv not got into the hang of the dates yet atall. In fact Iv eaten one an was almost sick. Don't know if I'll manage them:/ may just have to eat sticky toffee pudding on a daily basis. Do you think it would have the same effect? Haha

Try nakd bars - they're mostly made with dates but taste of chocolate orange instead. Bonus.

notone oh my goodness that's the best news ever!! I will definately try that:) thankyou!!

I'm crap at remembering to eat the dates too even tho I'm always banging on about them. I've chopped some up on my cereal this morning so that's two down!

Rlt - yep from 36 weeks advice seems to say 1 cup a day. I'm 37 now and having two when I remember and will probably up to 3 at 39. I've got the capsules too so gonna start on a couple of those a day now.

I'm not sure about the evening primrose oil either. I think I'll start taking it orally this week and maybe the other way from next week..,

For anyone after bed pads I've just found packs of 3 for a quid in pound land!

Lol apparently DH had a dream last night that we went to ikea and I went into labour. Let's hope that doesn't happen!

Thanks misskat :) Ooo haha maybe it's a sign. Next thread baby on its way!! Best take your hospital bag in the car!! Enjoy your day:)

Hello everyone, can I join? Been reading for a while but haven't posted before. I'm 36 weeks today, haven't finished my hospital bag yet and don't feel in the slightest bit ready! Can't wait to meet our little girl though.

I was getting what I thought was little rhythmic kicks this morning but I'm thinking it might have been hiccups!

Hope everyone has had a lovely relaxing weekend.

Wow misskat what a busy day! Sounds lovely tho :) you've spurred me into action and I just sorted out all my baby clothes and actually have a ridiculous amount...oops. putting on the first wash now and looking forward to seeing all the mini clothes out to dry.

Thanks for the poundland tip, will stock up when I'm next in town.

Welcome candy